Improvement in carriage-step



` W.; KNOWLBS. 4 I f Carriage Step. No.10@5,876. i Patented July. 26, 1870."

Tage.

Witnesses. Inventos" NPEERS. FHUTO-UTHOGRAPHERf WASHXNGTON, D C.

. To all whom/it may concern WtLsoNvv.K-NowLns, or PLANTSVILLE, ooNNE'oTIoUT. L

Letters .Patent No. 105,876,datcd July '26, .1870.l

Y IMPRQVEMENT 1N cARRI'AGE-STEP.

' The Schedulefreferrd to n these Letters Patent and making partei the saine.

Be it known that `Lili/ilusion WpKNoWLEs, of Plantsville, in ,the county of H'artfordand in the State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Carriage-Steps; and do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making a part of `this specification, 1n which-"- a Figure lis aplan view of the lower side "of a step having an open-work center;`

Figure 2 is alper'spective view of -the upper side of the same; Y v Figure 3v is a plan vi `w of the lower side of a solid step; and

Figure 4 is a perspective viewof` itsfupper side.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of the figures. i

Heretofore, carriage-steps have beenonstructed of two pieces', the plate and shank, which were first cut and. forged to nearly therequ'ired dimensions, riveted togetherrand then welded, as a `result of which the finished article was renderedquite expensive by the amount of time and labor involved in its production, and by the loss and waste occasioned by the not infre quent burning of the iron-while the parts were being welded.

In additioirtothe large costof vthe steps, their strength 'and durability were frequently impaired by the imperfect welding together of their parts.

To remove these objections is the design of my `invention, which consists in acarriage-step formed of or from a solid bar ofiron, without welding, as is "hereinafter set forth.

In the construction of steps from a solid bar of iron,

I make use of the following described process, which is believed to be most desirable, although a likeresult' might be produced by other means.

bar of iron two and a half inches wide by fiveeighths of .an inch thick, is `heated atvits end, the

same necked .down under adrop-hammer, so as to i roughly form the shank A, which is completed. Under er between suitable forming-dies, after "which the piece designed for the step is cut from the bar, all at one heat. t

Vthe former into the latter, are spread out 'in the 'form l when it is ready for nishing, either as an open-work or as a solidstep. .v

Iuforderto complete the open-work step,.a sample of. one form of which is shown in figs. l and 2, the blankis again heated, placed within a femaledie having a suitabledesign sunk within its face, and

-forced into the same by'means'of a few blows of a plane-die, attached'to a drop, after which the -lin connecting the two bars, B, `and rim G, is removed by corresponding punch-dies, the step. returned to the forming-dies`and completed by a 4single Vblow of having sunk wit-hin its face the form of the perfect step D and shank-A, and is completed by means of a single blow of the drop,

'II-heY advantages possessed by this step over those in common use, are

First, the fibers of the iron composing the shank i andstep are continuous, and, passing forward from of afan, soasto give to the step the greatest possi- 'ble strength and rigidity.

Second, being without weld or joint of any kind, concealed flaws resulting from the carelessness of workmen, or from au imperfect union between the shank and step, are rendered impossible, and a sound smoothappearance of theexterior will always indicate a corresponding solid interior. Third,'there being no loss from imperfections in theflnished step, anda great saving in the time and material requiredin its manufacture, the step can be furnished at a much lower cost than has heretofore been possible. Having thus fully set forth the nature and merits of my invention, i

As a new article .of manufacture, a carriage-step, formed from a solid bar of iron without Welding, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony that Iclaim the foregoing, 4I have WILSON KNOWLES.

- Witnesses;

. Snunon H Non'rox JN0. Il QUILL, 

